The Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has once again sounded the alarm over what it calls “blatant law-breaking” by SANRAL and its contractors along the N2 Wild Coast Toll Highway project. Warning that human rights and environmental protections are being systematically ignored, particularly in the Mtentu and Khanyayo areas.
In a strongly worded statement issued on 6 June 2025, the ACC detailed how the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) failed to respond to a memorandum handed over during a peaceful community march to the Mtentu mega bridge site on 12 May. Among 21 demands was the immediate release of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Chinese contractor’s accommodation site, where wastewater from kitchens, laundry and showers is allegedly being pumped into nearby freshwater streams, including the Mtentu River.
The memorandum was received by a Department of Transport official, but SANRAL has not replied. The Mbizana Municipality also ignored a separate letter of complaint, even after it was hand-delivered and stamped.
“We are watching our environment being poisoned, our communities disrespected and our health endangered,” said a community member from Khanyayo, where similar — and in some cases worse — violations are now being reported.
Khanyayo’s Desperate Conditions
The new N2 section from Msikaba to Mtentu is cutting through the heart of Khanyayo. According to community reports, it is being built over wetlands — drastically reducing spring water that families have relied on for generations. Makeshift water tanks provided by SANRAL were filled only twice and then forgotten, while untreated wastewater now flows into rivers and near the Khanyayo clinic.
Photos taken this week show sewage and human waste seeping from tanks located just meters from the health facility. Nurses say they may be forced to shut the clinic due to unbearable living and working conditions.
“We smell sewage while treating patients,” said a nurse at the clinic. “This is not just unsanitary — it is dangerous.”
Community members also allege that blasting activities are cracking walls and damaging homes. During these operations, stones reportedly fly into households, forcing families to flee.
“Families run with their children before every blast,” one elder told the Times. “This is not development — it’s destruction.”
Corruption and Silence
Further reports suggest that community jobs tied to the project are being sold, with SANRAL Public Liaison Committee (PLC) members allegedly demanding R20,000 or a cow in exchange for employment.
The ACC likened SANRAL’s use of traditional leaders to the apartheid regime’s control tactics, accusing them of being used to “discipline” the people instead of protecting their rights.
The community of Khanyayo, having learned from Amadiba, submitted their own memorandum in January — but it too was ignored. A peaceful protest on 2 April ended in alleged torture and arrest of residents, including one man still in jail without trial after reporting police abuse.
Calls for Accountability
The ACC is calling for an immediate midterm evaluation of the N2 Wild Coast Highway project, citing corruption, environmental destruction and health risks.
“This project serves elite interests — BMWs and freight companies,” the statement reads. “But it cannot be allowed to destroy our homes, water, land, and lives.”
“We need Parliament to see what expropriation for ‘development’ looks like,” said the ACC. “People are crying. Development has become a curse.”
